Sprouting a Harvest of Nutrition

This weekend will be the first-ever Elliotborough Park and Community Garden Plant Swap! You’re invited to discover the best-kept neighborhood park secret in Charleston AND swap plants with fellow gardeners. Afterwards, check out our community vegetable gardens and see the progress on a new Clemson Architecture vertical vegetable wall.

For those who have seen the Park Circle plant swaps, we will be following a similar format. BRING SOME PLANTS AND INVITE A FRIEND!

Details:
WHAT: Yard plants, herbs, shrubs/trees, vegetable or flower seedlings, bulbs, or garden tools/accessories are all welcome! (I’ll be bringing a variety of herbs, roses, and other plants)
WHERE: Elliotborough Park and Community Garden, 134 Line St. (Downtown Charleston)
WHEN: SATURDAY APRIL 16 @ 1pm (advise 10 min early for setup)

Other groups included Central Piedmont Community College, Alpha Phi Omega from University of Illinois Chicago, and the Presbyterian Student Association of Charleston (pictured below).

With the help of these hardworking groups Fields to Families was able to help our partner Sweetgrass Garden Co-op on Johns Island clean up their lot, prepare their fields, build compost bins, form up rows, mulch, and plant. Groups also gleaned several hundred pounds of collards and mustard greens at Joseph Fields Farm and helped to clean, paint signage, propagate seeds, and plant at the Bogarden community garden.

A huge THANK YOU to our great dedicated college students for spending their spring break helping others!

Many of you have expressed interest in helping with the Farmer’s Markets. Depending on the location, you will be at a table, talking to attendees of the market about the mission, accepting dontations, and in some cases collecting produce for recipient agencies. If you are still interested in helping out this year, please contact the respective leader for each market.

Daniel Island Farmers Market is now in need of a Volunteer Coordinator.

Events

We are currently in the process of creating a new Events Committee that will be meeting regularly to plan, seek out, and participate in events. If you only want to volunteer at specific events, please see opportunities below.

Help celebrate Earthday by sharing the mission of Fields to Families with residents and visitors of Kiawah. Volunteers can either hand out information or participate in hands-on activity of making paper pots, filling them with soil with children and planting seeds.

If you are interested in doing a hands-on activity this Earthday weekend, come out to North Charleston and participate in hands-on activity of making paper pots, filling them with soil with children and planting seeds.

We will continue to send out email notifications of gleaning opportunities. If you are interested in receiving training to lead gleanings, please contact us.

Gardening

Fields to Families currently has one main garden in Moncks Corner in partnership with Junior League, Whole Foods, and 4-H but if you live in that area and would like to get involved, please contact Phyllis Ford at <phyllisford@bellsouth.net> or 843.766.8234

We are also partnering with a local non-profit project called Sweetgrass Garden Co-op on Johns Island that donates their produce to the hungry. Their garden is located at 3105 Plowground Rd. Johns Island, SC 29455. If you are interested in having a group come out to help or simply wish to volunteer on your own, please contact Dale Snyder at dale.snyder@att.net or 843-270-0889. They have a variety of volunteer opportunities from planting to construction.

For questions or further information, please email info@fieldstofamilies.org

Charleston Eco Fashion Event will showcase independent fashion designers that are making strides to support and embrace responsible philosophies. The event seeks to promote environmentally conscious trends in fashion and to applaud and support designers who are shaping these trends.

We will be having two more gleanings of collards and mustards this week thanks to Joseph Fields! There will be a gleaning this Friday the 11th from 9:30-12:30 at Joseph Fields’s Farm on 3129 River Road, Johns Island, SC led by Nikki Seibert.

The following gleaning will be Saturday the 12th from 9:30-12:30 also at Joseph Fields’s Farm on 3129 River Road, Johns Island, SC led by Greg Vanderwerker.

We are seeking volunteers interested in working a shift at this full day event focused on learning more about gardening. Volunteers will have access to the exhibit hall, gift shop (Books, Rain barrels, and plants), and free compost!